General Notes

Name Suffix:<NSFX> Earl of Sutherland
WILLIAM (SUTHERLAND), EARL OF SUTHERLAND [SCT], son and heir. He paid £20in 1263 and again in 1266 as part of a fine due to the King. According tolocal tradition the Earl of Sutherland beat off Norse raiders in anengagement outside Dornoch, apparently in August 1263. In 1269 he was atNairn with William, 2nd Earl of Ross (whose sister Eupheme had m. hisbrother, Walter of Duffus, died 1263) and there met Archibald Heroch,Archdeacon of Moray, who became Bishop of Caithness in 1275; in whichyear they amicably divided the lands which had been in dispute betweentheir predecessors for more than 30 years. He attended the Parliament[SCT] at Scone which on 5 February 1283/4 recognised. Margaret (borncirca 1282), daughter of Eric II Magnusson, King of Norway, by Margaret(died 9 April 1283), daughter of King Alexander III [SCT], as hergrandfather's heir, and later signed the letter of 14 March 1289/90 fromBirgham to Edward I, King of England, consenting to the proposed marriagebetween Margaret, Queen of Scots, and the King's son Edward of Carnarvon(afterwards Edward II), then aged about eight and six respectively.During the interregnum in Scotland after Queen Margaret's death in Orkney(circa 26 October 1290) he was reckoned one of the supporters of theBruce claim to the succession. He does not appear to have taken any partin the war against King Edward I, March-July 1296; but, although the Kingof England came north and was at Elgin, 26-29 July, when he went toRothes, and to Invercharrad on the Deveron next day, Earl William did notcome across from Sutherland to meet him but waited for a month before hewent to Berwick to sign the Homage Roll on 28 August 1296. In May 1297the Earl received a copy of the circular letter sent by King Edward aboutthe proposed expedition to Flanders. Although he did not take part inthis expedition, he received another letter 3 months later commending hisloyalty (presumably for having refrained from joining the insurrectionstarted in May by Sir William Wallace) and calling upon him to supportSir Brian FitzAlan, of Bedale, the newly appointed Keeper of Scotland. On4 April 1304 King Edward sent the Earl a letter from St. Andrews thankinghim for his good faith and good will so often shown. Two years later theEarl's name was on the list of those adherents of King Edward who were tobe given lands as a reward for their support. The name and parentage ofhis wife have not been recorded. Remaining constant in the allegiancewhich he had sworn at Berwick in 1296, he died while Sir Aymer de Valence(afterwards Earl of Pembroke) was Guardian of Scotland in April1306-September 1307, probably before the death of King Edward on 7 July1307. [Complete Peerage XII/1:538-40]

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William Sutherland, second Earl of (d 1325), eldest son of William, firstearl, succeeded his father in infancy in 1248. The first earl was the sonof Hugh Freskin, who obtained the district of Sutherland from William theLion in 1196. Hte second earl was present at the parliament of Scone on 5Feb 1284, and he also attended the convention at Brigham on 14 March1290. In 1292 he gave his oath to aid Robert the Bruce in his claims tothe crown; and although on 28 Aug 1296 he did homage to Edward I atBerwick-on-Tweed, he shortly afterwards took part in excursions againstEngland. He also fought on the side of Bruce at Bannockburn in 1314, andhe subscribed on 6 April 1320 the letter of independence of Scotland. Hedied in 1325, leaving a son Kenneth, who succeeded as third earl, fell atHalidon HIll in 1333, and was father of William fourth earl ofSutherland. [Dictionary of National Biography XIX:179]

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William, second Earl of Sutherland, who is said to have been quite ayouth at his father's death. He appears in the Exchequer Rolls of 1263and 1266, when £20 in each year was paid as part of the fine due to theKing, and at a later date the sum of £15 was exigi